Broward school board approves plan to close six schools amid enrollment decline
The Broward County School Board took a final vote Wednesday, Jan. 21, on Superintendent Howard Hepburn’s recommendations to close, consolidate and redraw boundaries at dozens of schools across the district, a plan officials say is necessary to address declining enrollment and mounting budget pressures.
The closures and consolidations came from the district’s multi-phase “Redefining Our Schools” initiative, meant to mitigate the under-enrollment issue that has left thousands of classroom seats empty across Broward’s more than 300 schools.
District officials say under-enrollment has contributed to the approximately $94 million budget shortfall and affects state and federal funding, which is based on student headcount.
The 11 changes on the board’s meeting agenda were outlined in a memo Hepburn released on Dec. 12.
Much of Wednesday’s meeting, however, was dominated by public outcry over recent changes to high school graduation venues, an issue that drew dozens of students, parents and community members to the podium.
Under the district’s updated graduation plan, some schools will hold ceremonies in gyms while others will use professional venues, a disparity that parents and students say raises concerns about equity, transparity and safety.
Proposals that passed
The proposals on the agenda passed unanimously, effectively closing six schools, redrawing boundaries for three schools and reconfiguring grade levels for two schools.
- Sunshine Elementary School in Miramar: Consolidate the school into Fairway Elementary School and make the campus available for another District use. The closure of Sunshine has an estimated recurring annual $1,148,268 savings to the General Fund, according to district data.
- Panther Run Elementary School in Pembroke Pines: Consolidate the school into Chapel Trail Elementary School and Silver Palms Elementary School. The campus would become available for another district use. According to district data, the total estimated cost savings is $1,152,356.
- Palm Cove Elementary School in Pembroke Pines: Consolidate the school into Lakeside Elementary School and Pines Lakes Elementary School. This would make the campus available for another district use. The district says the closure has a total estimated cost savings of $1,305,271.
- North Fork Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale: Consolidate the school into Croissant Park Elementary School, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and Walker Elementary School, and make the North Fork Elementary School campus available for another district use. The total estimated cost savings is $972,509, according to district data.
- Walter C. Young Middle School in Pembroke Pines: Shift the portion of the school’s boundary west of Interstate 75 to Silver Trail Middle School. Starting for the 2026-27 school year, students in this area will be assigned to Silver Trail Middle School.
- Plantation Middle School: Consolidate into Plantation High School and reconfigure Plantation High School as a sixth through 12th-grade school. Make the Plantation Middle School campus available for another district use.
- Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines: Shift the portion of the school boundary west of Interstate 75 to West Broward High School, so that beginning in the 2026-27 school year students in this area will be assigned to West Broward High School.
- Hallandale High School in Hallandale Beach: Shift the portion of the school’s boundary west of Interstate 95 to Miramar High School, so that beginning in the 2026-27 school year students in this area will be assigned to Miramar High. Hallandale High School will be transitioned to a four-day-week magnet school following the Pompano Beach High School model. The total estimated cost increase would be $877,934 to $1,165,534, according to district data.
- Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale: Reconfigure the school as a birth through fifth-grade early learning center.
- Seagull Alternative High School in Fort Lauderdale: Consolidate into Whiddon-Rogers Education Center and make the Seagull Alternative High School campus available for another use. There were concerns about terminates and flooding issues at the facility that need to be addressed and there is a possiblity that the facility will not be ready for those students that the school would intake.
The 11th-hour effort
The proposal to consolidate Bair Middle School in Sunrise into Westpine Middle School failed by a 5-4 vote.
Sunrise City Manager Mark Lubelski told board members the city is willing to work with the district and offer available resources, including potential financial support.
Next steps
District staff members said they will finalize safety routes, transportation plans and school leadership assignments in the coming weeks. Staff also said it will meet with principals Thursday, Jan. 22, at the schools approved for closure to begin outlining the transition timeline.
Dr. Valerie Wanza, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, said proposals for repurposing the North Fork Elementary campus will be discussed at a board workship on March 24, at which point a definitive plan will be announced.
Wanza says they have received four proposals at this point.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Broward school board approves plan to close six schools amid enrollment decline."
